JAZZ: Gwen Ansell
TRUMPETING, roaring and pawing the ground, the trombone is the elephant of the jazz band. In the right hands — and Jonas Gwangwa’s, at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre, are certainly those — it’s also capable of breathtaking delicacy and precision. Instrumental virtuosity is one of the main delights of Gwangwa’s show, which should be compulsory viewing for every would-be jazz muso who hasn’t yet realised that greatness is founded on simply mastering your instrument.
Gwangwa isn’t the only star in that respect. While it’s invidious to pick names out of what’s overall a top-flight instrumental line- up, trumpet veteran Johnny Mekoa shines with disciplined, lyrical solos and some astounding top notes. And from the younger generation, Sydney Mnisi plays with a warmth and freedom of attack which belies his quiet stage presence.
The other overwhelming impression from this two-hour retrospective of the trombonist’s career is just how good the man is as both composer and arranger. Given the resources of a big band, he can transform an engaging theme like his Foreign Natives into the launching pad for a steaming series of duels between trumpets, then saxophones, then guitars, then keyboards, ending up with Jethro Shasha’s obligatory knock-’em-dead drum solo.
Other themes (particularly those sung by Gwangwa) resonate in the heart, cause the feet to tap — are quite simply unforgettable in the way good popular music is supposed to be.
All that, of course, raises the question of why it has taken so long for recognition to come the man’s way here. For this show is a retrospective — and while looking backwards is becoming the curse of South African jazz, it’s also almost inevitable. What other likely outcome is there for a generation of musicians who’ve moved from being the audacious young lions of the music to its conservative fathers without any acknowledgement from the land of their birth?
Sometimes, however, the greatness of the music wasn’t enough. The theatrical setting and the fullness of the arrangement overwhelmed the simplicity of Uhbambe, which has moved some of us to tears in a five-piece arrangement in a tiny venue with lousy acoustics in some neighbouring state. And while guest vocalist Abigail Khubeka is an accomplished nightclub performer, her stage presentation integrated uneasily into a sit-down presentation of instrumental jazz.
But those are matters of taste, and many in the audience clearly disagreed with me. What’s indisputable is that Gwangwa has assembled a selection of this country’s best jazzmen, to play music which ought to be far better known than it is, in the kind of venue jazz is usually denied. For once, you can hear — really hear — the music. For all those reasons, you shouldn’t miss the show.
Gwangwa performs at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre until March 31